Lawyer and TV celebrity Toru Hashimoto, 38, became Japan's youngest governor Sunday, winning the Osaka gubernatorial election by more than 800,000 votes in a surprise landslide victory.
Hashimoto was swept into office by younger voters eager for change and attracted to his television fame, and by older voters suspicious of the opposition.
But skepticism remains strong about whether Hashimoto can actually bring the kind of change his supporters want. Critics warn that unless he moves quickly to turn his words into concrete action and show he can govern, he'll quickly disappoint his supporters.